The Curling School

Games consist of either eight or ten "ends" depending on the level of competition. League and bonspiel games are generally eight ends while play leading to a national or world championship would be ten ends. An end in curling is similar to an inning in baseball. Each end takes approximately fifteen minutes, so an eight end game would generally take two hours to play.

Teams are usually assigned to a given sheet of ice (similar to a lane in bowling) at the curling club. Curling clubs have anywhere from two sheets to eight sheets of ice.

Beginning the Game

The game begins with a handshake. It is customary for each player to shake hands with each opposing player and each teammate. Shake hands with the opponent first.

Use the W.E.ST. Technique for good handshakes.

W eb

E ye Contact

S olid

T wo

Web

When reaching out for the handshake, make sure the webs (area between the thumb and index finger) of each hand make contact.

Eye Contact

Remember the color of their eyes.

Solid

Use a solid grip that is firm but not overpowering. This can be used for men and women.

Two

Shake two times.

Most curlers take a few practice "slides" before throwing the first rock. This is done by sliding out of the hack area with no rock. Do not throw rocks prior to any game unless it is specifically mentioned in the league rules. Practice slides help limber-up the body (pre-game stretching is also recommended, see the Delivery section) prior to throwing the first rock. The vice skips on each team toss a coin to determine who has the last rock advantage in the first end. In most cases the winner of the coin toss chooses to throw the last rock,

the loser of the toss chooses the rock color.

At this point, the skips move to the opposite end of the ice and the team not delivering moves between the hog lines. The skip calls the shot, the first rock is thrown, and the game is on.

Note: In many clubs, the rocks are numbered from one to eight. Unless told otherwise, the lead should throw rocks number one and two, the second throws three and four and so on.

Each player will throw two stones per end, alternating with the opponent. Your team throws one, the opposing team throws one, and so on. As the lead is throwing, the second and vice are designated sweepers, with the skip calling the shots. When the second is throwing, the lead and vice are the sweepers. When the vice is throwing, the lead and seconds are sweeping. When it comes time for the skips to throw, the vice skip takes over responsibility of the house and calls all sweeping for direction. The lead and second remain as the sweepers for the skip's shots. Yes, the lead and second sweep more than the vice, and the skip doesn't sweep at all.

Position of Players

Understanding where to position yourself on the ice is critical to team performance as well as playing by the rules. The leads and seconds must position themselves between the hog lines unless they are about to sweep or about to deliver a rock.

If you are about to deliver a rock, position yourself behind the hack and remain quiet and still as your opponent delivers. As soon as the opponent delivers the rock, choose your rock and move into the hack area. While the opponent's rock is still in motion, begin the setup process in the hack (described in the Delivery section).

If you are about to sweep, position yourself on the tee line approximately two feet from the sideline. As your teammate begins to deliver, start moving forward and to the center trying to "meet" the rock near the hog line. At this point you may begin sweeping the rock if necessary.

When you have stopped sweeping, return to the other end of the ice. Be sure not to walk down the center of the sheet, preventing the opponent from viewing. As you are walking back, try not to distract the opponent in the hack. If time permits, stop and remain still while the opponent is delivering.

Completing the End

Once all sixteen rocks have come to rest, the vice skips from each team agree on how many rocks are counting and to which team they belong. Only one team can score in an end and the most any team can score is eight. Occasionally, when the counting rock or rocks can't be determined by the naked eye, a special measuring device is used (see the Measuring Rocks section). Normal scoring in an end may be one, two, three or even four rocks. Scores of five, six and seven are much less common. Scoring all eight rocks is as rare as a hole-in-one in golf and many players never see one.

The Score Board

The vice skip of the scoring team is responsible for posting the score after each end. On the curling scoreboard, numbers 1 through 16 (possibly 17, 18, 19 etc.) are painted horizontally from left to right. These numbers represent the rocks scored. At one end of the scoreboard, there is a stack of individual numbers from 1 to 10. These represent the ends and are hung either over or under the painted numbers. Since teams throw different colored rocks, the ends are hung above or below the painted numbers depending on color. In curling, the rocks scored are posted cumulatively, meaning two rocks scored in the second end are added to the what ever was scored in the first end (if any).

The team scoring in the end throws first in the next end. This means that the scoring team will never have last rock advantage after just scoring.

Finishing the Game

At the completion of the game, it is customary to again shake hands with your opponents and your teammates. It is now time for broomstacking. Most curling clubs have some sort of gathering area for broomstacking teams. There will usually be table set up behind each sheet of ice designated for this.

Game Speed

Most people find that fifteen minutes per end is a comfortable pace for the game. In fact, most league schedules and game times rely on this. Slow play not only delays the following games, it allows players to get bored and/or cold. It is important to be ready to throw when it is your turn.

Timed Games

At all championship level games and in some bonspiels, time clocks are used to control the speed of the games. The reason for time clocks is to prevent one team from taking enormous amounts of time to call the game. The clock is similar to a chess clock and each team has 75 minutes (150 minutes total) to complete a ten end game. Teams out of time lose the game.

The clock begins at the start of the forward motion of the rock and stops when the skip or acting skip is clear of the playing area. Skips should note that even if your rock has come to rest, the clock would continue to run until you completely give way to the opposing skip.

It is necessary for the lead and second to be ready to play when the opponent's rock comes to rest. This is a noticeable difference in the pace of the game. Teams under the clock no longer have the luxury of casually moving into the hack and taking their time. The pace at the beginning of end is usually faster than the pace at the end due to the vice skips and skips discussing the shots. The faster the leads and second are, the more time the back end has to discuss the strategy.

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